Uncommon Denominator
by StupidStorywriter6
Summary: Gon and Killua's adventure in Greed Island begins. Except, there's an additional player in the game this time. He's completely unknown, but his abilities are frightening and he's ruthless enough that even when he helps people he seems more like a villain than any kind of hero. And Gon has stubbornly decided to be friends with him. Kumagawa-centered.
1. Start

**Disclaimer: Stated once for the sake of formality. This is a fanfiction, so I don't own a thing. I won't financially profit from this in any way shape or form.**

 **This is rated T for a reason. Swearing, sexual innuendos, character death, and nondescriptive gore will appear. Nothing beyond what's been seen in HunterXHunter, but I feel obligated to state it anyway, lest I comment the absolutely heinous crime of offending someone**.

The auditorium wasn't full. Sure, there were plenty of people hoping to apply for the right to play Greed Island, but even then there were several dozen seats unfilled. But from the near-claustrophobic quarters with bumping shoulders and several people choosing to outright stand, you'd never have known it.

More than a few rows of one section were completely empty, save a few brave souls dotting the seats. However, not one of them dared to move within fifteen feet of the one person sitting there, completely alone. He was average in every way one could imagine. From his average build, to his average black hair, to his average blue eyes, to even his nondescript black clothes. In fact, if the room hadn't been filled to the brim with nen users, then no one would have ever given him a second look. But, since it was, every person worth their salt took note of the teen immediately for a rather paradoxical reason.

The otherwise average teen was so very unique because he was simply a blank void from which no nen escaped, no matter how hard anyone tried to see otherwise. He clearly existed, but something important, something vital that accompanied every thing on the plant was just...missing. He was a hole in the natural ebb and flow of life, a simple nothingness and emptiness wearing a wide smile. They could see him, they could hear him, and some of the more eccentric could even smell him, yet there was no nen, no life. The very air around him seemed to turn dead.

It was like sitting next to a corpse. Except, even a corpse was still fully there, not this twisted partial existence.

Killua wasn't afraid of the older boy behind him; he'd seen too much, done too much, to be afraid without good reason. But the albino wasn't prideful enough as to not be cautious of him. Well, not cautious enough to get up and move after the raven-haired boy sat down a few rows behind them (exactly twenty one and a half feet away, just enough time to react if he suddenly turned hostile a part of him knew) like nearly every other person had done, as one, in an almost subconscious movement. But he was still wary, hyper aware of all that was going on behind him, from the sound of the strange, _wrong_ , teen shifting slightly to the faint tune he was humming.

Rationally, Killua knew that the teen was likely an extremely proficient hatsu master, who was so good that he kept it up at all times. But doing something like that here of all places was just bad tastes, and no one wanted to associate with that kind of person -most of those who moved away justified in their heads. However, Killua knew –the primal instinct he'd developed throughout his life just so he could _survive_ for another day– that that wasn't it. Using hatsu alone, no matter how perfect, wouldn't drive others away from him like this. It wouldn't somehow allow for a feeling of _wrongness_ to saturate the very air around him, despite there being nothing to prompt this sensation.

The teen was a horrible, terrible, and frightening contradiction that left Killua's senses reeling at the conflicting feelings he was getting. To be unable to sense someone with nen, yet for them to be unhidden in every other possible way...To feel absolute nothingness and yet for there to be a sense of something horribly, _horribly_ , tainted from a person at the same time was…it was…!

Killua blinked when he felt Gon shifting around. Turning, the assassin nearly had a heart attack when he saw that Gon was having a…well, not a staring contest with the teen, but the two were just looking at the other curiously.

The entire room was holding its breath now, stunned by the child's bold decision to confront the…creature. No one was sure what they expected when they made eye contact; it had immediately become an unspoken agreement to not provoke the raven haired teen, least something terrible happen. Already some were half convinced that the teen was part of a thief troupe seeking the location of the other Greed Island games.

Killua only palmed his face. Of course Gon wouldn't just sit there quietly when there was someone strange and new right behind him, and it didn't matter if it felt fundamentally _wrong_ so long as it wasn't hostile. There wasn't any killing intent in the stranger as far as Killua could tell, but that meant nothing when he was surrounded with this, this _feeling_.

"Um, excuse me?" Gon started, looking for all the world like he was trying to get away with the entire cookie jar. The raven haired teen blinked before pointing innocently at himself, to which Gon gave a timid nod at.

Killua then decided that he _really_ needed to talk to Gon about talking to strangers. Especially ones who were wrong and strange and were somehow nothing and were yetwrongbadgetaway _away…!_

Gon was less (obviously) bothered, "What's your name?"

『Kumagawa Misogi. Nice to meet you.』

The auditorium had been silent enough for every single person to hear the teen speak. The world didn't end, and no one was suddenly dead. If anything, a couple of them now had a leg up on the teen if their nen required a name to work. Yet this brought no comfort. His voice was average in every way imaginable, but there was something off about the very words themselves. As if they weren't merely words, as if there was another layer to them, as if they were simply missing something...

Gon, bless his heart, barreled ahead with reckless determination, without an ounce of self-preservation in sight, "N-Nice to meet you too! My name-"

『It looks like it's finally starting. There'll be plenty of time to talk afterwards.』

Gon blinked at being interrupted, but turned ahead none the less. Killua shot the teen a nasty glare for that, but it only seemed to amuse him.

The announcer looked rather confused at the seating arrangements, but shrugged it off with ease and proceeded with business as usual. Nothing unexpected was even mentioned, though Killua and Gon paid attention all the while. Everything went smoothly until Tsezguerra walked on stage.

Tsezguerra strutted out with his chin held high and his feathers preened in such a way that his very being oozed self-assured confidence. He made it known to all that he was their better, superior, and to be respected without even saying a word. He was a level above them and held their fates in his hands; he knew it and was proud of it.

Which made it all the more terrifying when his perpetual frown deepened to dangerous levels at the sight of the auditorium's seating arrangements. He locked onto Kumagawa with the speed and accuracy of a hawk and _stared_ at the cause of the issue. Stare being a light way to put it, since the look he pinned Kumagawa with clearly said 'fix-this-now-before-I-end-you'.

Kumagawa only waved pleasantly with a smile that was less so.

The lack of aura surrounding the teen, paradoxically, grew.

No one would have been surprised if a fight broke out then and there.

But somehow it didn't and Tsezguerra threw his attention to the overcrowded side of the room before the tension had even wavered, "What are you doing? Take a seat or leave immediately!"

And everyone did that, even if some were all but sitting in another's lap. Some even decided to salvage a tiny bit of pride by moving to the other side and sitting down somewhat close to Kumagawa.

Things proceeded normally from there. The speech was given, and the test started. And it was then, with Killua thinking himself in circles, that things actually really started to change.

『You're completely overthinking it, you know.』

Killua jerked and whirled around so fast he felt dizzy for the first time in years. Kumagawa was there, magically in the row behind them, head propped on his arm as he leaned on the back of the duo's seats like it was the most natural thing in the world. When the hell-!

Killua was proud he managed to keep himself from reacting violently. Barely.

Gon frowned, but just looked at the teen, seemingly unbothered.

"...What are you talking about?" Killua asked, cautiously.

『Eeh, weren't you listening? I mean that this test isn't as bad as the guy up there made it out to be. Really this is just「Talent Show」meant to find really strong nen users. They wouldn't give away all the spots before they had a chance to see all the acts you know.』Kumagawa lazily waved to Gon, 『He's figured it out.』

"Gon? You realized what was going on?"

"Well, it was only a hunch." Gon shrugged, "I just thought it was natural that the hosts would want to test everyone here."

『See? So there's no need to wait in line when we can just relax until we don't have to wait while standing. 』Even the wave Kumagawa gave was lazy as he flopped back in his own chair bonelessly.

Killua scoffed, "So you're just lazy then."

『Yup! Well, that and even if I tried to get in line somehow, someway, I'd end up being dead-last no matter what I did. I might as well not even try since it's hopeless to resist.』

"That's a depressing way to think…" Killua trailed off and wondered what he'd have done if he'd thought the same thing when he'd first decided to escape his family. How he still caught himself feeling that way about

『Not really. That's just how I know things will go. No matter how hard I try, I'll always lose. Even when I win I've lost in some other way that completely cancels out that win. I'm a born loser no ma-』

"You're wrong!" Gon was suddenly up in his seat, filled with determination and spitfire,

"You shouldn't think like that! It's not right for anyone to feel like they can never win at anything! No one should feel like they'll always lose!"

The silence was deafening.

"I'm sure you've won at something, even if you didn't realize it at the time."

The smile that Gon gave was so, so bright, that Killua once again wondered how someone like him-a creature of darkness and death-could not only stand, but enjoy being around someone so brilliant. And he wasn't alone. Even if the perpetual smile on Kumagwa's face didn't so much as twitch, his eyes grew unfocused, and something in the nothing that surrounded him seemed to actually exist, if only for a brief moment.

No one expected Kumagawa to break out into tears.

Gon, of course, immediately began panicking when he thought he'd made a huge mistake, "Ah! Kumagawa, I'm sorry! I didn't…"

『That means so much coming from you! 』Kumagawa abruptly declared in such an overdramatic way-who even carried around a handkerchief these days anyway!-Killua suddenly wanted to hit him for messing with Gon like that. But the raven haired boy plowed ahead, suddenly calm, and regardless of the albino child visible bristling, 『But, didn't you know? You can learn a lot from losing. A lot more than if you won all the time. But you look like you already know that, right?』

"Yeah…" And once in awhile Gon felt phantom pains from when he'd lost against people too strong, too powerful who he had no right to even touch, but fought and stood against anyway, "But you shouldn't lose all the time. After all, today you'll win when you pass the test!"

『Maybe...』And there was something wistful in that, something that started to unfurl, only to crumble to dust,『Or not. To win I'd have to beat the game, right? Go on ahead you two, I'm destined to be last anyway.』

Gon was looking awfully determined, Killua absently noticed as he stood up. In fact, that was the look that usually meant he was going to do something potentially reckless and

"Then you can go before Killua and I, Kumagawa!"

"Eh?!"

『Huh?』

Gon only looked twice as determined at their confusion, "If you feel like you'll always lose and go last, then I won't let you be last. You won't even be second to last either!"

Killua pointed accusingly at Gon as if some great slight had just been committed,"Huh!? Why are you acting like I've already agreed to this, Gon!?"

"Eh? So you won't let him go before you?"

"I never said that, it's just, don't go around assuming I'll instantly agree to anything you say!"

The sound of a shifting body interrupted the two children. Kumagawa stretched a bit and, without another word, walked towards the entrance. He shot a... _look_ over his shoulder at Gon. One that was rueful but at peace,『Honestly, it looks like I'm destined to always lose against people like you.』

Gon gaped for a moment at that, "W-Wait, I didn't mean to-"

Killua flicked Gon to get him to stop. Honestly, sometimes...

『Don't worry, Gon, I'll go ahead and show star hunter what my「Skills」are.』Kumagawa's smile was something predatory, and the announcer backed away without even realizing what he'd done until the door shut with a click that seemed overly loud.

Only a few moments passed before there was the sound of no less than three objects impacting something solid. Killua and Gon traded confused looks. It wasn't the sound that bothered them since, if one had listened really hard. they could've heard various sorts of attacks going off behind the screen. No, what was strange was that the sounds were impossibly close and just short of being absolutely simultaneous. In fact, it wasn't impossible to assume that there had been several more attacks, so close to each other that they had blended together.

Killua swallowed.

Gon just leaned back in his seat and pondered for a moment, curious as ever, "I wonder what kind of nen Kumagawa uses. It's gotta be pretty fast...What do you think it is?"

"He couldn't be a Manipulator; he didn't have anything on his person besides his cloths." The albino recited, somewhat detached as his mind whirled. He didn't even notice the worried and bothered look Gon was giving him as he continued to think aloud, "It's probably Conjurer or Emitter then." Unless Kumagawa was a Specialist.

It'd at least let him explain the paradoxical feeling that surrounded him.

Probably.

Gon just hummed and Killua let him come to his own conclusions; it'd make it all the more likely that they were correct if they reached the same answer on their owns. But…

"He's been in there too long…"

Gon sat up, "What do you mean?"

"Exactly that. Kumagawa's had to have shown his nen to Tsezguerra already, so why haven't we been called up?"

"Maybe...Maybe they're just talking?"

Killua _seriously_ doubted that.

A minute went by.

Then another.

They were well working their way towards their third minute and the end of both boy's patience when the announcer suddenly straightened. He looked to the lounging boys, clearly wondering what they were doing not in line _still_ , but shook his head. Kids would be kids, and it's not like some random brats would pass.

"Next."

They both decided to walk up at that, and Killua decided to go first. It wasn't like he was going to take very long. Plus, he really wanted to see the damage Kumagawa had obviously done to the room before anything else. He was easily the most audible person who'd tried out, so it must've been impressive.

Sadly, there wasn't a single thing wrong with the room. Which just made Killua even more curious as to what those noises from before were. It just wasn't _fair_ that someone like Kumagawa was somehow able to be so mysterious despite not trying at all.

Well, now he had to know what the teen's nen was.

A visible shaken Tsezguerra-who was trying _far_ too hard to look like his neutral and cocky self -he only really looked pathetic-passed him with little commentary, clearly trying to still piece his shattered composure together. Asking him about Kumagawa got an...interesting reaction. For the briefest of moments Tsezguerra was visibly terrified, the kind of fear that came only when you had every right to fear for your life. And then it was gone, replaced by a realization and then he was staring at Killua with….Disbelief? Pity? It was unclear.

On his way out, Killua had noticed the completely random giant screw stuck in the ceiling and decided to point it out.

It was funny how pale the man turned at the sight.

Killua carefully stored what he'd seen as he walked out, and made his way, somewhat begrudgingly, over to a smiling Kumagawa. Who actually had people sitting somewhat near him this time. It only made sense. To people like this, he was a mystery. A dangerous one, yes, but still something to be solved.

They didn't gape when he sat down right next to the teen they'd determined to be a strange creature. Oh no, they were too 'composed' or whatnot to do something like that. But an invisible ripple seemed to go through the room none the less.

『So did you 「shock」the instructor with your nen?』Kumagawa asked innocently enough. Except with the way he said 'shock' Killua had a feeling he knew more than he was letting on. Which was impossible, what with how new the skill was. Unless he was a stalker. Or they were dealing with a mind reader again.

Joy.

"Not really. Tsezguerra was still shaken up by whatever you did." A careful balance of disinterest and annoyance colored the words. After it could always have been a coincidence. He propped his elbows on the table and let his head rest on his hands. The perfect picture of a bored child.

Kumagawa just hummed, watching the door expectantly for Gon.

"I saw what you left in there." Vague enough that no one else would find it useful info, but just enough information to see if Kumagawa really was the one who did it.

『Really? I thought I got rid of all of them. I guess I should pay more attention, huh?』Kumagawa said, without looking at the assassin. Who had no doubt that the teen wasn't about to take anything a tiny bit more seriously.

"It was stuck in the ceiling." Which made no sense, "Why would you eve-"

If Killua had thought that Kumagawa's examination had be noisy, then Gon's was ridiculously loud. The room actually shook a bit from the sheer force of whatever the boy had done.

Everyone in the room at least perked up at that.

A moment later, Gon peaked in like nothing had happened. He brightened immediately and ran over to the other two without any hesitation with a happy shout of their names. The two boys began chattering excitedly for a few moments, purposely ignoring the eyes not so subtly watching them. Neither of them really thought much about it when Kumagawa gave a look at the examination room.

Abruptly, Gon cut himself short and looked back to the silent Kumagawa, "Sorry, Kumagawa, we got so caught up we forgot to introduce ourselves!"

『It's fine! I've heard you two use your names, so I already know them.』

"But Mito said it's not polite to not introduce yourself properly," Gon held out a hand, "So, I'm Gon. Nice to meet you, Kumagawa!"

Kumagawa stared at the offered hand with a curious look. It was small, yet already callused more than his own already. The teen took a long moment before looking back up at Gon. The boy just smiled brighter.

"I guess I'm up too, huh? I'm Killua." And then another hand was being offered to him, abate with less enthusiasm and a tiny amount of distrust.

Kumagawa's perpetually smile only grew.

『Nice to meet you, Killua...Gon. My name is Kumagawa Misogi. I hope we get along.』

The Minus shook both their hands.


	2. A Game

**I swear I originally planned for these chapters to be around a thousand words.**

Unsurprisingly, Kumagawa was dead last when the order to enter Green Island was decided. Gon gave him a sheepish smile when he won first place, and Killua was just glad he wasn't last himself. The two boys seemed equally displeased when he just shrugged and just accepted it as his fate.

It was probably for the best, since Kumagawa actually had some trouble getting into the 'game'. Everyone had nen, even a Minus like himself, so it wasn't for want of anything. But he just didn't know how to properly use it in the way that was needed. He could bring his aura out easily enough- the brief involuntary shiver Tsezugera gave was indication enough that there was no issue there -but it was just a matter of actually _controlling_ it that was the issue. He had never so much as tried to do something as hard as that and had always let his aura- his soul -run wild and do what it wished. And that had always worked before.

But this stupid and outdated console just didn't seem to think that his leaking aura was good enough.

"Aren't you going to get on with it already?" Tsezguerra, going last to make sure no one caused trouble, asked impatiently. There were much better things he could do than babysit a creepy kid.

Kumagawa looked at the (his) guard with a pleasant smile.『Huh? Can't you see I'm busy trying to 「Link Start 」over here? 』

The flat look he got was interesting. So Tsezguerra had already recovered? Hunters really were tough...

『It's really difficult without a Nerve Gear you know. Plus I've got to take my time with the character creation or else even my in-game avatar won't be cool! Then I'd really be a complete failure!』

Somehow, Tsezguerra expression grew even more unamused. The man looked like he wanted nothing more than for Kumagawa to fail so terribly he was unable to play. Or somehow died when entering. Though he'd probably settle on horrible bodily mutilation if the Minus was reading his hatred right.

"There is no "character creation" in Greed Island." 'So get on with it'- went unsaid.

『Really? Well that's lame. That means there's not going to be any guys disguised as cute girls you know. Or female armor.』

A full five minutes had passed and Kumagawa still hadn't gotten in. Even though his expression hadn't changed much, it was obvious he was trying to set the thing on fire with his eyes. A tiny sliver of self control that he'd managed to cultivate while with Medaka was the only thing that let the poor console still exist.

But it still felt like the cheap piece of plastic and wires was mocking him by remaining locked. He'd already come so far, but no, it would keep him from his goal forever. He'd never get in, never get to play Greed Island, and never get to change anything. He'd never make a difference, never be important, never do anything. never matter-

Kumagawa took a deep breath through his nose, least he let his smile escape him.

Well, he'd show it his misery.

((UCD))

"Kumagawa!" Gon cheered, and didn't even wait for the teen to walk down the step before he ran up excitedly.

『You waited for me?』

"Of course! We're friends, right?"

An awkward pause.『Of course, Gon!』

"What even took you so long? It's almost been ten minutes since the last person came down. We were wondering if you'd backed out at the last second." Killua complained loudly as he stood and made a show of dusting off.

"Killua!" Gon hissed, "Ah, he's-"

"What? I'm just wondering."

『I had some trouble getting in. My 「Skill」makes it hard to do even basic things with my aura. But I figured something out.』Apparently stabbing the console with a Book Maker counted. It was clear that Kumagawa would say nothing more on the matter, so Killua decided to move on to the thing that bothered him more.

"Really? Is that why you feel so creepy?"

Gon looked comically horrified at the blunt question, "Killua!"

Kumagawa just cocked his head to the side and, bizarrely, his smile seemed a bit more real,『I feel creepy? I didn't realize I was projecting my aura. Hopefully I didn't break any 「Minor Character's」hearts!』

"No," Killua said casually as he eyes the teen, judging and weighing, "if anything you need to actually let your aura out some more. Your hatsu is _too_ good. It's like there's nothing right next to me."

Well that was interesting; no one back in school had ever said anything. Maybe it was a Hunter thing...『Is that a problem? I thought the goal of hatsu was to perfectly suppress your presence.』

"It is, but somehow you're not even letting background aura wash over you. So it's like looking at a lake and there's this one random spot in the middle where the water's just going around the ground and not over it. You're even more obvious like this."

『Huh. Well that's too bad, because I'm not even using hatsu right now!』

"You're not!?" Gon and Killua exclaimed in unison.

『Nope! That must just be a side effect of my power!』And turning his own presence into nothing. Looks like All Fiction was _too_ thorough for some things,『Man, it's such a pain sometimes』

"Then why did you pick it?" Killua shot. To be impractical was one thing, but to actively hate a power you had to choose for yourself? Where was the logic in that!

Kumagawa boldly turned away for Killua and out towards the vast grassy field before them,『So what are we going to do about all the people watching us? With this much intent, they can't have anything good planned for any newbs.』

"Yeah...wait, Kumagawa? What's a newb?"

' _He completely dodged the question!'_ Killua fumed as Kumagawa launched into an overly long and complicated speech on what a newb was and how they differed from a noob. A speech which was clearly just about to fry Gon's brain. Not because he couldn't understand the difference, but because he just didn't get why people couldn't use different sounding terms for such different kinds of people.

Killua took a moment to take some petty and silent revenge by labeling Kumagawa as an idiot who didn't know how nen worked and had screwed up horribly. It'd certainly explain a few things, "Hey you two! Are we going to start playing today?"

『Yes, yes, of course! Let's go!』Kumagawa boldly started off in a random direction, ignoring Gon's protests. It wasn't until he realized they weren't following that he stopped. 『Eh? Oh right. Which way do you want to go?』

Yup, definitely an idiot. There wasn't even anyone in that direction!

One quick debate later, and they'd picked a direction. A correct direction, mind you, as there was actually something that way. Killua asked Gon about his save data as he played with his Book for a bit, impressed by how it floated. They didn't notice that Kumagawa was oddly silent, just letting the typical conversation progress.

"To enjoy the game." Gon recited proudly, and here Kumagawa decided to jump in.

『And that's why there weren't any cards. If this Ging wanted you to have fun in this 「Game」 then of he wouldn't help you.』 Kumagawa thought for a second and then asked, 『Who's Ging anyway?』

"Ah, sorry Kumagawa. Of course you wouldn't know!"

Kumagawa suddenly seemed to remember something. And, with all of the assured confidence that came from absolutely knowing something to be fact, he said,『Ah, I remember! He's a famous boar, right?』

"What…No." Killua didn't even know what to say anymore. He was...so stupidly random and strange. How was he going to deal with this for weeks, possibly months?

Gon was trying to _not_ sound completely weirded-out, "Actually, Ging is my dad…"

『Really? Guess you shouldn't believe everything you hear then.』

Killua wondered why he did these things for Gon sometimes.

"So! What do you two think about the rules?" Gon said a little too loudly after the silence stretched for a bit too long. Hopefully they'd have remembered the rules better than he had. Well, at least Killua would know what was and wasn't important.

"I still don't know enough yet." Killua said with a sigh. Sure that info dump at the start had been pretty long, but it still didn't really _explain_ what they were in for. Collecting cards sounded simple enough, but so did pretty much every part of the Hunters examination. Get from A to B? Easy, just be ready to run for literally hours, and dodge murderous wildlife and insane clowns. Go get a special egg? No problem so long as you were fine with jumping off the edge of a cliff.

『This entire 「game」is just a huge fetch-quest. Though I don't really know what I should have expected, since most MMOs are like that. Although I guess this 「game」would just be a MM』

"Umm…"

Gon would've asked what those acronyms meant if he hadn't sensed...something. Killua felt it as well; the albino stopped directing an overly flat look at Kumagawa and stared at the sky. They weren't disappointed as a white energy sphere landed no more than ten feet in front of the trio. The energy cleared within a matter of seconds, revealing a man who practically _screamed_ punk with his stylized dreadlocks, piercings, and headphones. Killua and Gon didn't flinch, but anyone who looked would have seen just how tense and cautious and confused they were.

Kumagawa smiled.

Headphones had the definition of a shit-eating smile on his face, "This must be your first time playing this game."

Killua, always the level-headed one, just smiled back, "I wonder if your right."

『Book!』

The three looked at Kumagawa in confusion. The raven haired teen just hummed and flipped through the card binder for a second, nodded, and looked back at headphones, who was now regarding Kumagawa with obvious caution, 『What? You're obviously a player, so why wouldn't I pull out my own book?』

Half a second and Killua and Gon had mimicked him.

Headphones just scoffed and messed with his own book, "You can't fool me, Gon, Killua, and Kumagawa. I know you're total newbies who just arrived with the rest of those guys."

"How do you know our names?" Gon demanded.

Headphones looked so smug it was disgusting, "How ind-"

『He probably just looked at whoever he's most recently met and called out the names.』He doesn't know who's who though.』 Kumagawa interrupted and shrugged as he shook his head in disappointment.『 It's a pretty basic part of MMOs.』

"I see…" Headphones pointed accusingly at Kumagawa, "So you must be a returning player who's decided to try and teach these kids how to play!"

『Nope. I'm a complete noob! I just know how MMOs work.』

"Idiot! Why would you tell him that!?" Killua snapped, turning on Kumagawa and looking about two seconds away from smacking him. Kumagawa thought for a moment and then shrugged.

『Why not?』

"Trace on! Attack Killua!"

『Oh, he still decided to do that?』

The possible meaning of Kumagawa's words were tossed aside insuring chaos when the beam of light shot towards their group. Headphones frowned when it missed the teen by inches and then made an aggressive beeline for the albino child.

『Too bad. You shouldn't have done that.』Kumagawa sighed, completely unworried as the spell chased Killua around relentlessly and slowly gained ground,『One-in-three odds is still a failing grade, you know. I guess you're an idiot then.』

Headphones just glared at the Minus, "Shut up! My attack still worked!"

『It sure did. But if I were you I'd run away now. Or else something terrible might just happen to you.』The smile widened into something akin to an elder watching as a child did something particularly dumb and amusing.

"Is a skinny brat like you threatening me?" Despite the bold bluster headphones was suddenly acutely aware of the absolute lack of feeling that surrounded the teen. It hadn't meant much when he'd boldly announced he was new, but now it was an utterly oppressive feeling.

『Of course not, I wouldn't stand a chance against someone strong like you! But you must be a real idiot if you think I'm the one you should be worried about.』Kumagawa looked behind him with a thin smile when killing intent suddenly swallowed the area like a greedy serpent.

In that moment, headphones understood the mistake he'd made. He'd made a horribly inaccurate assumption when he'd seen their group and assumed that two kids and a lanky teen were easy prey. For a mere child to feel so... _evil_ was even more fundamentally wrong that how the teen felt. And phantom fangs seemed to close around his throat when the white devil spoke:"What did you just do to me?"

Latarza knew when he was outclassed. So he did the reasonable thing.

"Return on! Take me to Masadora!"

In a whirl of light that fled into the sky, he was gone. The silence that was left was oppressing with nervous tension that no longer had an outlet.

『Well that was pointless.』

"Seriously, is that all you've got to say? We haven't even gotten a single card and already something weird's been done to me…" Killua grumbled and gave himself a visual once-over as if that would somehow tell him everything. He didn't feel ready to keel over, but there was the undeniable heavy nervousness of being watch now hovering on the edge of his senses. Nothing unbearable, but annoying, like an itch.

『Nothing bad's been done to you. When he activated that card he said 「Trace on!」. I don't think that that was his aria, so that's probably the name of the card. And a trace card probably just traces you. At worst you just have another stalker.』

Killua took a moment to think about his other 'stalkers' and almost shivered. And not just because of certain persons that came to mind, but the flippant way it was said made it impossible to tell if it was a shot in the dark or not,"..So you're admitting you're a creep then?"

『Ouch, that hurts Killua! How could you be so cruel, I thought we were friends?』Kumagawa whined, clutching his chest dramatically and even swaying as if he were ready to faint from the horror of it all- or just drunk.

His performance was so bad that even Gon looked exasperated, though he was clearly more amused than Killua was, "I'm sure Killua didn't mean anything bad…"

"Yeah, yeah, now stop acting like a fool." That wasn't really a confirmation, but Kumagawa dropped the act with starting speed.

『I know, this is joking between friends, right? Well, friends also do favors for each other so I'll get rid of that spell on you since you apologized.』

Gon visibly brightened,"Really? You'd do that for Killua?"

『Of course, Gon. My power can make it so it'd be like the spell never existed.』

"Well go ahead...and...do…?" Killua's impatient snark trailed off when it dawned on him that the feeling of being watched had just...vanished. It was like a switch had been flipped. Abrupt, drastic, and without any indication that an action had been taken. There was no flux of nen from Kumagawa, no difference in his posture, nothing had changed. But the tracing effect was gone, spirited away without a whisper, "It's gone." the albino breathed very slowly, trying to contain himself. He felt lighter, like some great burden had been lifted, clearing his vision and thoughts and heart so quickly it was overwhelming.

"You already got rid of the spell?" Gon looked hopefully at Killua. Killua gave Gon an unfocused look but managed to smile and give a tiny nod.

『Of course; I made it so it never even existed. And removing the spell wasn't hard either!』Kumagawa shrugged at their dumbfounded looks. If they couldn't accept it, that was their faults, not his. Killua looked completely dazed like he'd just woken up from deep sleep. Did something that small really have such an effect on him, even when not active? Such a twisted ability for a truly twisted individual. But, it wasn't nearly enough to just be senselessly cruel.

Turning on his heel, Kumagawa waved,『Well, I'm going to head off on my own! Bye-bye!』

"Wait, you're just going to leave?" Gon was clearly disappointed and confused. Had they done something wrong? Did Kumagawa see how little they knew and decided he'd rather just be on his own? But he'd healed Killua immediately, so he couldn't hate them…Right?

『Yup! There's a player I want to meet, but if I don't hurry, then I won't know where to find him.』

"Then we can come with you!" Gon pressed, and apparently that was enough to snap Killua out of his daze if the sputtering was anything to go by, "It'll be easier to find someone if we work together. I'm really good at tracking!"

『Nah, this player isn't very nice and won't be happy to see me.』Kumagawa waved away Gon's argument, 『I have something I want to ask him though, and I don't want you to get caught up in any kind of fight. His nen is strong and really dangerous.』

"If he's that dangerous then we really should come with you! We can help you!" Gon refused to watch someone else he knew try to do everything themselves and nearly get killed.

『But Gon, these are the kinds of people who wouldn't hesitate to use a kid as a hostage. What would I do if that happened to you? I'm not good at negotiating, so there's no way I could save you.』It was always all or nothing for him; anything less than a complete victory was unacceptable. Even if the chances of even breaking even were dismal, Kumagawa was happy to cheat his way through it all. And sometimes he'd even come close to cheating his way to a tantalizing prize, but his annoying superiors and underclassmen alike always managed to stop him.

It was endearing, in an unbearably annoying way.

Silence stretched for several unbearably long moments. Killua averted eyes, knowing that Gon wanted him to say something, to insist that they should go. But why should he? They barely knew Kumagawa, and he wasn't even asking for them to help him; he was actively telling them that it was too dangerous. Whatever his nen was, Killua was already confident that the teen had enough skill to at least not die if there was nothing else there to distract him. And, Killua would freely admit he hardly trusted the strange teen at this point, even with the help he'd given him.

"Kumagawa! We'll make sure to meet up again soon, ok? Promise." He took the Minus' hand and stared intently at the teen as he said this, and a bizarre understanding passed between the two.

『Cross your heart and I'll hope to die.』Kumagawa chimed out the twisted children's rhyme playfully and even traced an X over his heart, but it only bothered Killua. The word choice there was disturbing and he wasn't entirely sure what Kumagawa meant. Anything he could think of wasn't at all comforting and...『 Oh, but don't stick any needles between your eyes, Killua. Acupuncture is dangerous.』

Killua was so shocked that he didn't properly respond, his mind turning inward. To know that someone had foreign nen implanted in them was one thing, but to know the specific cause and form was completely different. And if anything, it sounded like Kumagawa knew exactly where the needle had been, but how, how?! Was he really that strong and skilled? So as to protect Gon from the strange teen, Killua mechanically went through every socially appropriate motion needed for a typical parting, all the while once more acutely aware of Kumagawa's disturbing _nothingness_ aura that seemed more hostile than ever. How had he ever grown comfortable enough that he stopped noticing it when it felt as if it'd gladly swallow the world if it could?

Gon knew that Killua was suddenly wary of Kumagawa once more. He wasn't exactly sure what caused it, but it was obvious it had something to do with the spell that had been removed. That was strange and sad, but Gon had the feeling that something more had happened even if nothing really strange had been said. Whatever the reason, it didn't really matter. Because during that goodby that felt too stiff and fake, he'd felt it. Under all of that nothingness and negativity was a desire. It was impossible to tell what it was, but Gon knew it was something important.

((UCD))

"It looks like the contest starts now," Phinks smirked at the approaching figure. They were either really stupid or really bold running up to them like this. With this wide and flat terrain, there was no way they could have snuck up on even a normal player. Phinks took a step forward. How many rotations would he need? He looked weak, so maybe he'd need as few as two…

A hand on his chest stopped him. Feitan gave Phinks a sidelong and impassive look, "Wait. He'll come."

There was no way that the player- a black-haired teen -didn't see the slowly dying form of Latawhatever at their feet. And only a complete moron wouldn't put two and two together. But here this teen was, still running to them like a lamb to the slaughter. Maybe the punk was a friend of his? Maybe he was some self-righteous idiot who'd run headlong into danger for the sake of a stranger. Either way, it looked like Feitan had decided to claim this unfortunate teen as his newest toy if his interest was kept.

Feitan always liked to play with the feisty ones the most.

『Oh, what's this? I'm too late to save the idiot!』

His words weren't at all worried, and he didn't look the least bit bothered despite the raw killing intent filling the air. The teen only smiled brightly at the duo, and his nothingness seemed to increase, 『Now, now, there's no reason to look so mad. I only came here to talk. But it's really rude to listen in on other people's conversations. So go away.』

Phinks raised a brow at that; who was this kid talking to? But when Feitan violently jerked back, Phinks noticed the weak aura of the punk they'd found wasn't nearly as weak as a mostly-dead person should be. In fact, it felt perfectly normal, and-! The headphone wearing player that he'd watched Feitan guide to death's door was perfectly fine! Physically, anyway, since he was so utterly terrified of the trio that he couldn't even stand up and settled for pathetically crawling and scrambling away.

"Y-You! Y-Y-you're...y-y-ou-!" Latarza shakily pointed at Kumagawa, unable to form words. Just a moment ago he knew he'd been in unbearable agony, with his only salvation being the slow and creeping numbness spreading through his limbs as death came for him slowly, too slowly, and he could only lie there…It had been suffering he'd never even comprehended, but somehow it was whisked away without even a whisper left.

『I could never hate an utter loser like you.』Kumagawa answered the unasked question lightly, as if he'd just said what his favorite color was. But his grin was disgusting, 『Now go away.』

Latarza ran blindly, so terrified of the monsters behind him that he didn't even remember his cards. For only a brief moment did the thought of killing the player as he fled even occur to the spiders. But there was a high-strung tension that was being steadily worn away by the razor of anticipation that promised death to whoever blinked first.

"What the hell did you do?" Phinks growled, drawing himself up even more at the sudden threat.

『I didn't do anything, honest! You two were the ones who just left him on the ground like that. You should pay more attention and make sure that they're...dead...ah?』Kumagawa stumbled, his hand coming up to feebly cover the wound on his chest that was suddenly there. With such precision that his heart was a bloody pulp and all else was untouched.

Feitan gave the blood-covered sword a bored look before flicking the life liquid off, "Weak."

『What's...this? Oh, I see, you got me. I guess I was...careless...』Kumagawa fell to his knees, but even those gave way and, limply, the boy collapsed backwards. The two spiders gave him a disinterested look as the teen stared up blankly at the sky with the dazed look only the dying had. He soon wouldn't be able to see them anymore as his mind slowly shut down and fake visions played before his eyes, taunting. They'd both seen it many, many, many, times before,『I'm so cold...It doesn't hurt...just cold...I don't think even...you could warm me...』

Feitan scoffed and turned away with a disappointed "So boring." before looking off the way that the other play had escaped. There wasn't really any point in going after him since they had his cards, but a contest was a contest, and even that weakling had at least attempted a fight. He'd just expected too much from the teen after that fancy healing trick and gotten ahead of himself. Now there wasn't any time to do anything fun.

『I'm so sleepy...Just kidding!』

The attack came from literally nowhere. If there had been even a millisecond between those words and the attack, then Feitan would have known. If the teen on the ground's breathing had changed, if he had stood up, if he had gathered nen in any way shape or form, Feitan would have known. But there wasn't, and the only reason he survived was because the projectile needed just under a second to reach him.

The silver thing- A giant screw? -skipped over smooth metal and spiraled into the air. Phinks spun, shoulder already rotated three times, and growled. Feitan knew exactly how much abuse the human body could take. Nen made things more interesting and let plenty of people survive the impossible. That was fine by him since it made things more fun, but it was still surprising that the teen was standing up without so much as a quiver, even smiling like the perfect hole in his chest wasn't still freely drooling blood. His heart was gone, turned into a pile of useless mush, but the teen lived on regardless.

『That's rude, ignoring me even when I was trying to be cool! I even gave an epic speech with my last breath.』

"What kind of nen is that?" At first it looked like the strange teen had just healed himself just like he'd done to the weakling. But to the careful eye it was obvious it was anything but; there was still a very sizable hole in his chest. Something that could substitute the functions of a heart at the very least, possibly puppeteering? Or this was an illusion meant to unsettle an enemy and the wound never happened.

『I like to call it All Fiction.』Kumagawa answered after a heartbeat. Another moment slipped away and then, 『And you like to call your skill Pain Packer, right? If you show me yours, I'll show you mine some more.』

Feitan frowned and waved Phinks away.

This one was _his._


End file.
